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' i Specification of LettersPatent. Patented @@1313 29.1939;

application inea august as,` 191e. serial No. karma To all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, HERBERT J. ATKIN- soN and vGnonon F. CLARK, citizens of the United States, residing at the city `and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spar -Plugsg willV enable others skilled in the it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and `to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in spark plugs for internal combustion engines ourobject being to provide a device otthis character of such `construction that thev` points or parts on opposite sides of the gap shall be kept cleanautomatically when the diiiiculties engine is in use.

It is well known that one of the serious "in connection with engines of this character is due to the or electrodes of the what is termed of explosions in the cylinders. i ln ourimprovement the pin or rod `passing through the longitudinal or axial center o of the plug is divided and the insulating member is correspondingly divided, the inner member of the pin and the corresponding member of the insulating material being mounted to reciprocate, the outward `movement being imparted by the compression as the piston moves toward the outer extremity of the cylinderLwhile the other movement is v imparted by sary, the action of the the suctiony vor partial vacuum produced by the piston as it leaves its out-` ermost posltion in,.-the cylinder. `Ii neces; partial vacuum 'may be supplemented by members of the plug; pression is diminished.`

of the l points i 'or el the plug and extending inwardly beyond the' sparking position ot the pin,` but) so,

arranged that" itsv perforation receives the electrodeA extremity orf the pini when the two membersV lturthermoie, `theypin is provided with an and we" do l declare the following to be a fullyclear, and

exact description ofthe invention, such' as art to which `provement `shown on rlarger than normal.

fouling of the points spark vplugs causing` missing or the absence i the plugv or fthe intofthe outer1 en i der of the insulating member. 4a spring so arranged1 as 'to bevunder tension to separate the twov as soon as the comf v The rod or pin-of the plug `whose inner extremity forms one ectrodesis arranged to `pass through a perforation formedin a cleaning member mounted on the bodyoif Cutoff extremity 1e items enlargelnent'14c `'adapted to pin which is embedded, i member 'Zi'. Theouter `'er.tremidzy of lthe pin is threaded tli `18 formingpart of the i i i 4 also resting on a metal member i 19 engaging oftheplug are ``separated.` i I i i i i theotltei extremity ont the insulating part 7.

enlcalrgemeiit a short distance beyond its elec` i tro e extremityA which comes in contact with the other point or electrode member, Whereby both electrodes or points are kept clean or prevented from foul-ing during the operation of the engine.` y i i aving briefiyoutlined our improvement we will proceed to describe the'samein de* tail, reference being made to the accoinpanying drawing in which is `illustrated an embodiment thereof.v In this drawing: i

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the spark plug equipped withour irna scale considerably Fig@ is ali-end elevation or. a view look ing in the direction `of arrows 2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 343,

Fig. 1 viewed inthe direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a'fragmentary sectional view of 4the spark plug similarpto Fig. l but show- A the plug inthe operative or sparking position as distinguished from ing the (parts of the nonfsparking position, which is shown inyFigl.

The v sainefreference characters indicate the same parte in all the views. i

' Let thel numeral 5 designatethe body of .i metal `casingwhich is connected with `the cylinder by meansV of `screw threads 6 formed 0n `the inneInd of"K the body member.f This hollow any other place by la screw plug 9i which is `"threaded of' the `body 55a suitable s y i i body or casing; receives the insulatingmembers 'i' and i3` of the pluggthesemembers being; prelierablyfQ i packing l0` being arranged between the -inf nerend of the plugand the opposing shoul# ing member 8 is mounted wholly withinfthe hollow of thebody, andlembedded therein is ,onemenpibe1""` 12 of the i beam or rod,"` its equipped-..withan f engagefthe' corre- `formed on the irl-. H

aia

The member 12 of the pin extends inwardly beyond'the body 5 its inner extrem* ity constituting an electrode or point which coperateswith an electrode 21 carried by the body 5 and also extending inwardly beyond the latter. The body member 5 is also provided with a part 22 which extends inwardly therefrom and is bent, as

'shown at 23, and extends laterally as shown at 24, into the path of the electrode or .point 20 of the pin 12, the part 24: being perforated to form a close fit for the electrode 20. v This part 22 is preferably composed of metal andits function is to clean `the electrode 20 as the latter is thrust in wardly to its limit of movement, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the member 12 ofthe pin is provided with an enlarge-A ment 25 which when the movable member v@faalde plug is at its inward limit of' moveunet engages the free end of the electrode n21 and performs the cleaning function.

VAs the movable member of the plug 1s mounted toreciprocate whereby it occupies 25 other" impurities in the cylinder.

From the foregoing description the perationof the device will be readily understood. vThe compression of the fluid in the c linder due to the outward movement of the,y piston will force the movable member of the spark plug into the position, shown in Fig` ,or so that the two parts 12 and 16 of the lin are' in contact to form acontinuous electrical conductor, by the time the explosive ixture is properly compressed in lc he cylinde and the'current jumping fromone electrode to another willproduce the necessary spark for ignitmg the .explosive mixture.y Again, as soon as the plston moves inwardly the suction or partial vacuum produced will h `ve a tendency -to cause ,the movable member of the plug. to move inwardly to the position shown in Fig. -l, whereby the electrode end 20 of the pin will, engage thegpart 22 in cleaning relation, while the enlargement 24 of the pin will engage the electrode 21 in the same relation. In this way,y the electrodes or metal parts of the plug which are arranged on opposite sides of the gap 26 will be kept clean at all times. In case the suction or partial vacuumV due to the inward movement of the piston inthe cylinder is are in the sparking relation.

not suiiicient alone to `cause the movable member to move inwardly to the pos1t1on shown in F ig. 1, a spring of any suitable vcharacter ma i be utilized to supplement the action of the partial vacuum. In the drawing I have shown a spiral spring 27 arranged between the movable and stationary members of the spark plug, and occupying the space 28 between these members when the inner member is at its inward limit of movement. lVhen the movable member is forced outwardly to occupy the position shown in Fig. 4, whereby the two parts of the pin are brought into engagement to form a continuous conductor, the spring` 27 is compressed to occupy a small pocket 29 formed between the insulating parts 7 and 8 of the plug, the part 8 being recessed for the purpose, an outer part 30 of the insulating member 8 extending outwardly a short distance to prevent Ithe battering of the spring when thev two members of the plug In order to prevent undue air cushion resistance when the movable member is moving outwardly under the action of compression in the cyl,` inder, a passage 31 leading from the cavity 28 to the atmosphere is provided. Furthermore, in order to prevent obstruction to the inward movement of the movable member, a passage 32' leads from the space 33 to the atmosphere.

' v In addition to the packing member 10 arranged between the screw plug 9 and a .shoulder of the insulating member 7, 'a

similar packing member 34 tween the inner extremity of the insulating part 7 and the adjacent shoulder of the metal body or casing of the plug.

Having ythus described my invention, what I claim 'ist y 1. A spark plug w-hose insulating member is divided into two parts,.and a conducting pin correspondingly divided, the parts of the pin being embedded in the respective insulating parts, one of the insulating parts movable for electrode cleaning purposes.

2. A spark plug whose insulating member is divided into two'parts, and a conductinfir pin correspondinglydivided, the parts o? the pin being embedded in the respective in- A is arranged beand its corresponding pin member' being :matically in synchronism with the moveused.

.ments of the engine on which the plug is 4. A spark plug having an insulating member consistingof 'a plurality of parts, one of'said parts being movable, a conducting pin composed of a plurality' of parts, one of Which is carried by and movable with the movable insulating part, and an elec-' trode spaced from and coperating with the movable pin part, said movable parts being adapted to be moved automatically through compression and suction in the en; gine on Which-the plug is used.

5. A spark lug having an insulating member consisting of a plurality of parts,

one of said parts being movable, a eonducting pin composed of a plurality of parts,

one of which is carried by and mov-able 1with l the movable insulating part, and an elec4 trode spaced from and coperating with the movable pin part, the plug being equipped with cleaning members arranged in suitable,

Lproximity to the electrodes.

6. A spark plug composed of a metal body, a divided pin, insulating membersin which `'tbe parts of the pin are respectively embedded, one of the insulating members and its pin part being movable .to bring the pin ded, one of the insulating members and its' pin part being movable to bring ythe pin parts into and out of unitary relation, and an electrode carried by the lmetal body and cooperating with the movable pin part to produce thespark.

8, A spark plug composed of a metal body, a divided pin, insulating members in which the parts of the pin are respectively embedded," one of the insulating members and its pin pant being movable to bring the pin parts into and out of unitary relation, an elect-rode carried by the metal body and co- ;operatingwth the movable pin part to pro- "duce the spark, and cleaning means n'iounted on the plug inl suitable proximity to the electrode parts. i

In'testimony whereof We affix our signatures. `HERlERT J ATKINSON.

GEORGE F.V CLARK.

which the plug is 

